Gun and gun-mounting.



A. IVIl COYLE.

GUN AND GUN MOUNTING.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 2, 1915.

Patented OUI. 17, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

u I I A. M. COYLE.

GUN AND GUN MOUNTING.

APPLICATION FILED ocT.27.191s.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

A TTH/VEY A. M. COYLE.

GUN AND GUN MOUNTING. APPLICATION FILED ocTfzI, I9I5.

1,201,264.. lamented OCI. 17,1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- I I I zA-I A. M. COYLE.

GUN AND GUN MOUNTING.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. 2, I9I5.

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

ANDREW M. coYLE,' oF NEW YORK, N. VY.

GUN AND GUN-MOUNTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 17', 1916.

Application filed October 27, 1915. Serial No. 58,156.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW M. COYLE, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and a resident of New York, county and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Guns and Gun--Mountings, of which the following is a speci-4 fication, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to the mounting of guns and has special .referenceto the mountingA of coast and land defense guns which may have apermanent, stationary foundation.

Guns o1' cannon from the time of their earlier production have been moregenerally used in the. field or on shipboard where it is obviouslynecessary to make provision for the recoil of the gun because nofoundation of adequate strength and rigidity can be convenientlyprovided to take the direct reaction of the gun fire. This conceptionhas also prevailed up to the present time with reference to coast andland defense guns. It is however, entirely practicable to construct gunsfor land defense, eve'n of the larger sizes, which do not recoil, andthere are many advantages arising from this construction.

One object of myinvention is to provide a mounting for guns particularlyfor land and coast defense purposes, that shall be capable ofwithstanding the tiring reaction of the largest known guns withoutrecoil,

with a view to improving the accuracyl and increasing the rapidity offiring large caliber ordnance, and of substituting for the elaborate andcostly mechanisms of the present breech block, recoil system andtraversing table, a few massive and simple parts which may beconstructed at less cost and which are not liable to derangement.

Another `\o,bject of my invention is to eliminate the longitudinalstrain on the inner tube ofthe gun, due to the pressure on the breechblock, and thereby to increase the radial 4strength and elasticity ofthe gun and avoid the tendency to shift the bands or jackets when thegim is fired.

Another object. is to provide a carriage or mount which shall permit ofall-around tire and of .any desired elevation of the gun, So as toprovide a land'or coast defense weapon which shall combine the ldutiesof gun. ho'witzer and mortar and be available against ships, air craftor land attacks. i The latter' consideration is of great importance Inorder `to meet these requirements, Iy provlde a massive abutment`member, ar-k ranged to be rotated, within a .fixed bowl orchamber,labout a vertical axis, and means for supporting the g'un upontrunniors turning in supports fixed to the abutmentv .member in suchmanner that a prepared surface on the abutment member shall cooperatewith and support the breech block of the gun when the latter is infiring position. vI also provide a breech block of eX- tremely simpleform with means for facilitating its removal .and means for supportingthe block while the gun is being loaded.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be set forthhereinafter, and in order that my invention may be thoroughly understoodI will now proceed to describe the same in the following specificationand then poin out the novel features thereof in appended claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figurel is a partially sectional elevation ofa coast or land defense gun having a carriage and mounting embodying myinvention, the gun itself and particularly the b`reecli block, beingalso arranged and constructed in accordance therewith. Fig. 2 is drawnto a larger scale but corresponds to Fig. l, except that the gunispartially broken away and the gun carriage and -its mounting are shownin section. A plan view of the gun and mounting of Fig. 2 is shown inFig. 3, with parts broken away and other vparts shown in section. Fig. 4is a rear elevation of the gun .showing a splinter-proof shell which isadapted to protect the gunners. Fig. 5 Ais a plan view of the rear endofthe gun itself, showing the breech-block mechanism more in detail.

The character of the foundation required for the mount will depend uponthe character of the ground selected for th'e work. If native rock isavailable, it may be sufficient to 'provide a vsuitable cavity in therock and set the vmount in this cavity ,with proper grouting. If,howeventhe ground is of a more ;.or. less yielding character, it will benecessary. to providea massive reinforced concrete foundationsimilartothat shown in the drawings. This reinforced foundation whichis'indicated'at 10is a feature of my invention and comprises a largemassof concrete in a form suitable to the contour of the ground having acavity or basin indicated at 11 and very massive walls which arereinforced by vertical rods 12, inclined rods 13, and circular rods 11located substantially as shown. The inclined rods radiate from thecenter of the cavity extending outward and upward in radial groups ofsubstantially parallel lines. Near the center of the bottom of thecavity is a recess 15, to which a drain pipe 1G is connected and intowhich is led a conduit or pipe 17 for the transmission of power. Theconduit or pipe may include compressed air hose, electric power wires,telephone wires and the like.

In the center of the concrete foundation is the cavity 11 which is hereshown as having sloping sides and an enlarged upper section 1S shaped toreceive the metal bowl or chamber 19 which forms the base of the mountor carriage. The bowl 19 is preferably of cast steel and is providedwith a flange 20, the function of which is to strengthen the upper edgeof the bowl and to provide additional bearing surface. The bowl may becast in a single piece or may be of two or more sections, depending onthe size. I prefer however, to' use as few sections as possible as thecost of construction is thus reduced. The bowl sections have cooperatingflanges 21 which are secured together by bolts 22. The flange 2() isprovided with a plurality of holes 23 through which a plastic filler maybe introduced into theo space around the bowl. In practice, the cavityin the foundation having been formed, the bowl is set therein andbeveled upon blocking, care being taken to leave the casting'clear ofthe concrete foundation. The plastic filler is then introduced into thespace about the bowl. This filler may be a. fine concrete or cementgrout, but I prefer to use some composition having a greater elasticity.For example, asphalt, a rubber compound, or the like, may be employed,but there are many suitable compounds on the market used for flooring,paving and to some extent, in-engine foundations.

The bowl may be cylindrical, conical or of any suitable shape. I prefera spherical segment comprising slightly more than a hemisphere.- Theinterior surface is accurately machined and ground true to form aworking bearing surface atall points where it coperates with the workingsurface of the carriage or abutment member 25. A rack or internal gear24 is provided inside the bowl for the purpose of traversing thecarriage in azimuth.

IVithin the bowl is a massive carriage or abutment casting 25 having aspherically curved bottom section 26v which fits into the bottom of thebowl, and a body section 27 having a spherically curved outer bearingsurface which fits into the upper portion of thc bowl. The body portionis a segment of an annulus so that it engages a large area within thebowl as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and The working surfaces of the bowland of the carriage are continuously lubricated, forced lubricationbeing preferable. A series of oil grooves is provided in the surface ofthe casting to facilitate lubrication. I prefer to utilize relativelyheavy oil or grease for lubricating the engaging surfaces of the bowland carriage` Aand I furthermore maintain a film of lubrication betweenthe breech block or plug and the abutting surface of the carriage withwhich it cooperates. The lubricant serves not only to reduce thefriction and facilitate the adjustment ofthe carriage in the bowl andthe gun on the carriage, but also fills any slight irregularities in thesurface and constitutes a very thin cushion which is very etlicient intransmitting the forces from the breech to the carriage and from thecarriage. to the bowl without severe shock.

The carriage casting hasl the form of a yoke having webs 31 to which areaflixed a pair of trunnion brackets 27A. These brackets are seated on cvlindrically curved surfaces 28 of the. webs 31 to which they aresecured by bolts or some other suitable means. There is a hole 28 in thebottom of the bowl into which a plug 29 extends. This plug projectsupwardly into the bottom section 26 of the casting 25 and limits themovement of the carriage in the cup to rotation about a vertical axis.The plug has longitudinal yholes to accommodate the conduit 17 whichextends through one of them as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and to provide forthe drainage of the carriage.

The gun which is indicated at has trunnions 36 'and is mounted in thetrunnion brackets 27A. The breech of the gun extends between the webs 81of the yokeshaped carriage casting see Fig. 3) which has an abutmentsurface 32 preferably faced with a hardened steel plate or liner 33.This surface is cylindrically curved about the trunnion axis of the gunas a center, so that the-breech of the gun is at a constant distancefrom the-abutment surface on the face of the liner 83.

The gun instead of having a breech-block securelyA attached by a veryexpensive. and carefully prepared vinterlocking connection, has abreech-block 41 which merely fits into the breech of the gun and is notlocked or secured to the gun in any way. The breechblock of the gun isin the form of a cylindrical plug provided with a gas check (not shown)and it is ground or otherwise iinish'ed at its outer end, to acylindrical surface to coperate with the hardened steel liner of theabutment member. The arrangement of parts is such that the distancebetween the breech-block or plug and the hardened abutment surface isvery small, as for example, a few thousandths of an inch. IVhen the gunis fired the reaction of the breech-block or plug is directly sustainedby the carriage casting 25 as hereinafter eX- plained.

rlhe gun may obviously be set either in a horizontal position or to anydesired elevation, as indicated by the broken lines in Figs. 1 and 2.While the gun, as shown, is arranged to be elevated to an angle of aboutthirty degrees, it is obvious that the finished abutment surface may beextended to provide for any desired degree of elevation. In order toload the gun it may be swung into the position shown in dot anddash'lines 35A in Fig. 1. The breech-block is then in a position abovethe abutment surface of the casting Q5 and may be'pulled out of the gunto permit the gun to be blown out and loaded.

The breech-block or plug fits closely into the breech of the gun and inorder to facilitate its removal it is provided with handles 42 havingcam or wedging projections 43 which, when the handles are pulledoutwardly, engage the rear end of the gun and wedge the breech-blockloose so that it may be readily pulled out. The breech-block or plug issupported when removed from the gun, by a bracket 7 0 which is attachedto it and is suspended from a bar 71. Extending upwardly from the top ofthe gun is a lug or pivot pin 7 3 and near the breech of the gun is acurved track or guide-rail 74, the center of curvature of the rail beingcoincident with the axis of the pivot pin. The

bar 71 has a slot 75 at one end which engagesthe pivot pin 78 and nearits opposite end it is supported by a carriage 7 6 having rollers 77which run on the rail 74. The arrangement of parts is such that the lostmotion connection between the bar 71 and the pivot pin 73 permits asufficient longitudinal movement of the bar and the bracket to withdrawthe breech-block from the gun, and the carriage provides for the lateralswinging-of the breech-block to one side to uncover the breech andpermit the loading of the gun.

Secured 'to the carriage casting 25 is a splinter-proof shell 45 havinga trunnion projection 46. Arranged to rotate about the trunnion 46 as acenter, is an ammunition carrier consisting of a frame, the lower end ofwhich is carried by wheel 49 which rolls upon the edge of the casting19. Extending from the frame 47 is a bracket 47A provided with rollerswhich support a shell carrier 48 which is arranged to be pushed forwardupon said rollers in order to deliver th projectile to the un.

It will be understood t at various means may be employed for elevatingthe gun and traversing the carriage, Aand I have shown and will nowdescribe briefly only one of many possible mechanisms for accomplishingthese results. The gun is traversed in azimuth by a pair of pinions 50which mesh with the stationary rack or internal gear 24 and are mountedon shafts 51 supported by brackets from the bottom section 26 of thecasting 25. Secured to the same shafts are a pair of worm wheels 52 withwhich cooperate a pair of worm gears'53 mounted on a common transverseshaft 54. This traversing mechanism may be operated by hand, or bycompressed air,'electricity or any suitable power. The method ofoperation forms no part of the present invention. For elevating the gunI prefer to use a rocker shaft G2 which carries a rocker arm 63,connected to the gun by a link 6,4., This rocker shaft may be operatedfon quick elevation by means of the hand wheel 61 through gears GO andsegment 65. The arrangement of elevating mechanism is not part of thisinvention. In'the case of mortars and guns ranged for'high angle fire,the elevating link is above instead of below the gun. A plate ironcasing 80 is provided within the bowl and is attached to the abutmentmember or carriage for the purpose of protecting the whole bearingsurface of the bowl and providing a platform on which the gunners maystand. Around the inner edge of the bowl isv a flange or shield 81 whichoverhangs the upper edge of the casing 80, the arrangement being suchthat water and extraneous matter will enter the casing instead ofentering .the bowl and from the casing it is drained through one of thelongitudinal holes in the plug 29 and is carried off through thedrain-passage 16. A Vernier 90 is attached to the base block and isadapted to coperate with the azimuth circle which is engraved -on theshield. The azimuth reading may thus be obtained with any desired degreeof accuracy.

Attention is particularly directed` to the fact that the gun shown anddescribed as an embodiment of my invention, may'be used for coast orland defense to advantage because it is capable of being turned to pointin any direction and hasl a range of elevation from the horizontal to ahigh angle. The last-named advantage adapts my invention for use notonly in the construction of. coast or land defense guns, but also in theconstruction of mortars and aerial guns. Furthermore, vas alreadyintimated, all springs and oil buffers are eliminated and the gun firesfrom a fixed position and is therefore more accurate than guns having arecoil mount.

I have shown the vbowl in ,which the abut. ment member is mounted, asspherically curved and I now believe this arrangement to be preferablebecause the casting by this means has the greatest Strength for itsWeight and furthermore, When the gun is fired in a horizontal positionthe reaction member tends to f rotate Without being wedged into thebowl. essential that the bowl shall be made in any specic form, as itmay be frusto-conical, cylindrical or some other shape. The plug whichprevents the abutment member from swinging about a horizontal axis,serves also to guide the member about its vertical axis of rotation. TheWeight of the abutment member is preferably great so as to betterdistribute the strain over the surface of the bowl; and so as to balancethe gun. Attention is further directed to the fact that the trunnionbrackets are mounted on cylindrically curved surfaces of the abutmentmember, these surfaces as Well as the abutment surfaces being machinedabout a com-mon center Which is the center of the trunnions. By thismeans the great accuracy of the machine work can the more easily besecured. Since the variousl surfaces are machined as above described,from the trunnion center, the breech-'block when in position in thebreech of the gun, is adapted to slide upon the hardened steel surfaceof the abutment member with the least possible Working clearance.

The operation of the gun is as follows:- In order to load the gun themuzzle 4is depressed until the breech plug rises above the abutmentmember. The handles 42 With which the breech plug is provided, aregrasped by the gunner Who then exerts an outward pull and removes theplug from the breech, the plug being supported as above indicatedA bythe bar 71. The plug is swung to one side to uncover the breech and thegun loaded. The plug is then replaced and the gun set to the desiredelevation and azimuth. When the gun is fired, it is of course, subjectedto the bursting force of the explosion but as above indicated, there areno strains tending to shift the jackets of the gun one over the other.After the gun has been fired, the loading process is repeated as abovedescribed, except that the gun will of course be blown out in the usualmanner.

The structure of the abutment and of the foundation may. obviously bemodified in various Ways; for example, the abutment member 'may belstationary 4and constitute a part of the foundation, the abutmentsurface being enlarged to accommodate the complete range of the gun.Such an arrangement may usually be practicable only when the range ofthe gun is limited. Instead of providing a complete hemispherical basino r bowl, a segment of a hemisphere may be utilized When all-aroundfiring of the gun is not required. The n may be arranged to be movedbeyond the abutment However, it is not l surface for loading in ahorizontal instead of in a vertical plane. Other modifications willsuggest themselves to those skilled in this art and I intend that onlysuch limitations be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.'

What I'claim is:

l. A mounting for ordnance comprising a stationary cup-shaped supporthaving a curved reaction surface, a carriage mounted to rotate withinthe cup-shaped support and adapted to have a gun ,pivotally mountedthereon, said carriage having a curved abutment surfaceV at the breechof the gun.

2. A mounting for ordnance comprising a stationary cup-shaped supporthaving a curved reaction surface, a carriage mounted to rotate Withinthe cup-shaped support and adapted to have a gun pivotally mountedthereon, said carriage having a bearing surface coperating with thereaction surface of the support and a cylindrically curved abutmentsurface at the breech of the gun having its center of curvature coaxialWith the pivotal mounting of the gun.

3. A mounting for ordnance comprising a stationary cup-shaped supporthaving a spherically curved interiorsurface, a carriage rotativelymounted Within said cupshaped support, means for preventing theoscillation of the carriage about a horizontal axis, trunnion bracketsmounted on the carriage and adapted to pivotally support a gun, saidcarriage having a bearingsurface coperating with the reaction surface ofthe support and a curved abutment surface at the'breech of the gun.

4. A mounting for ordnance comprising a stationary cup-shaped supporthaving a spherically -curved interior surface, a carriage rotativelymounted Within said cupshaped support, means for preventing theoscillation of the carriage about ahorizontal axis, trunnion bracketsmounted on the carriage and adapted tov pivotally' support a gun, saidcarriage having a cylindrically curved abutment surface at the breech ofthe gun having its center of curvature coaxial With the pivotal mountingof the gun.

5..The combination of a cup-shaped support, a carriage having a .massivebody mounted in the cup to rotate about a vertical axis and havingtrunnion brackets and an abutment surface With its center of curvaturecoincident With the pivotal trunnion axis, of a gun pivotally mounted inthe trunnion brackets having anopen breech, and a breech-block adaptedto extend into the open breech and coperating With the reaction surfaceof the carriage. Y

6. The combination of a cup-shaped support, a lcarriage having a massivebody mounted in the support, trunnion brackets and a reaction surfaceWith its center of curvature coincident with the pivotal trunnion axis,and means for limiting the support to a rotative movement about avertical axis, of an open breech gun mounted on the trunnion brackets,and a breech plug or block extending freely into the open breech andadapted to engage Athe abutment surface of the carriage.

7 The combination with a stationary cupshaped support having aspherically curved inner surface, a carriage mounted within the cup andhaving a spherically curved outer surface cooperating with the interiorof the cup, means for limiting the movement of the carriage to arotation about a vertical axis, trunnion brackets on the carriage,y saidcarriage having a cylindrically curved reaction surface between thetrunnion brackets, the trunnion axis being the center of curvature, of agun pivotally mounted in the trunnion brackets having its breechextending between the brackets and close to the reaction surface, abreech-block or plug for the gun adapted to be freely mounted in theopen breech of the gun and to copcrate with the reaction surface of thecarriage.

S. The combination with a gun having an open breech, a carriage on whichthe gun is pivotally mounted having an inner reaction surface and anouter bearing surface, and a breech-block loosely mounted in the gun andreacting upon said inner reaction surface, of a stationary supporthaving an inner surface adapted to coperate with the outer bearingsurface of the carriage.

9. The combination with a gun having a breech block, land a carriage onwhich the gun is tiltably mounted having an abutment surface adapted tocooperate with the lbreech block in various firing positions of thergun, of a support in which the carriage is rota` tively mounted having areaction surface, said carriage having a bearing surface to cooperatewith the reaction surface of the support in the various positions towhich the carriage may be adjusted.

10. The combination'with a gun having an open breech, a block looselyfitted into the breech, and a carriage on which the gun is tiltablymounted having` a curved abutment surface adapted to cooperate with thebreech block in the various firing `positions of the gun, of astationary support in which the carriage is rotatively mounted having acurved reaction surface cooperating with the carriage in the variouspositionsY to which the carriage'may be rotativcly adjusted.

1l. The combination with a gun having` an open breech, a breech blockloosely fitted into the breech, and a carriage on which the gun istiltably mounted about an axis in one plane, said carriage having acylindrically curved abutment surface having an axis coincidentI withthe tilting axis of the gun and adapted to coperate with the breechblock in the various firing positions to the gun, of a stationarysupport having a curved reaction surface with an axis normal to theplane of the tilting axis of the gun. said carriage having a bearingsurface cooperating with the curved reaction surface of the support.

l2. Mounting for ordnance comprising` a stationary cup-shaped supporthaving a curved reaction surface, a carriage mounted to rotate withinthe cup-shaped support and adapted to have a gun pivotally mountedthereon, said carriage having a curved abutment surface.I at the breechof the Igun. and lubricating fluid interposed between the bearingsurfaces to transmit the reaction to the support.

13. The combination with a gun having a breech block and a carriage onwhich the gun is tiltably mounted having an abutment surface adapted tocooperate with the breech block in various firing positions of the gun,of a support in which the carriage is rotatively mounted having areaction surface. said carriage having a. bearing surface to cooperatewith the reaction surface of the support in the various positions towhich the carriage may be adjusted. and lubricating fluid -interposedbetween the bearing surface of the carriage and the reaction surface ofthe support to transmit the forces from the carriage to the support.

1l. In a mounting for ordnance. a stationary cup-shaped support having acurved bearing surface, a carriage mounted to rotate within thecup-shaped support and having a cooperating bearing surface, and a gunpivotally mounted thereon, said carriage having a curved abutmentsurface at the breech of the gun, of a dish-shaped casing affixed to thecarriage within the cup-shaped support, and an inwardly extending flangeon the support overhanging the edge of the dish-shaped casing. Y

15. In a mountingfor ordnance, a stationary cup-shaped support having acurved bearing surface, a carriage mounted to rotate within thecup-shaped support and having a cooperating bearing surface. and a gunpivotally mounted thereon, said carriage having a curved abutmentsurface at the breech of the gun` of a dish-shaped casing affixed tothecarriage within the cupshaped support, and an inwardly extending flangeon the support over-hanging the edOfe of the dish-shaped easing, saidflange. being graduated to constitute an azimuth circle andeonstitutinga shield to protect the bearing surfaces.

In witness whereof, l have. hereunto set my hand this 26th dav ofOctober. 1915.

ANDREW M. COYLE.

